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5 BRAKE SHOE.

No. 292,861. Patented Feb. 5,1884; Fig.1. i. e m a a, V Flg. 2.

Witnesses; i Inventor. W V fiearye Z..ZZOss.'

UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

GEORGE E. ROSS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.-

BRAKE-8H0 E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 292,861, dated February 5, 1884.

Application filed September 12, 1883. (No model.)

by the brake, as the groove in the brake-shoe To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE E. Ross, a citizen of the United States,'residing in Buffalo,- in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake'Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to avoid the unequal wearing of the wheels by the track, or, more correctly, to cause them to wear more evenly, and thereby avoid the necessity of sending them so often to the shop to be turned up in the lathe, all of which will be fully and clearly hereinafter shown by reference to the v accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a car-wheel, showing a cross-section through the brakehead. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of a carwheel, showing its condition after being worn by the track while in operation, and Fig. 3 is a side view of the brake-head.

In the cross-section, Fig.1, a represents the shoe. 7

a is a groove made to fit the flange a of the wheel This groove is arranged lengthwise of the shoe, and is made to fit closely to the flange when in contact with it.

a is an additional groove in the brake-shoe. It is made about the width of the tread of the rail,and takes off the wear of the .brake from that portion of the wheel which is worn by the track. (See Fig. 2, in which the part a represents that portion of the wheel as worn down, as at c Between the grooves in the shoe is a rib, c, which forms a portion of one side of the flange-groove and projects down to reach that portion of the wheel not worn much by the track. The side of the shoe, 0, is a plain surface corresponding to the surface 0 on the wheel, and gives a friction-surface and takes the wear of that portion of the periphery of the wheel not reached by the track. This brake-shoe or brake-head is attached to the brake-operating mechanism in the usual way. .The flange of the wheel is not worn out of shape is made to nicely fit the flange. Furthermore, the greater part of the flange, being off from the track, is not in contact with it, and consequently is not worn by it. This brake-shoe is adapted to get its friction-surface from the portions of the tread of the wheel which are not engaged by or brought in contact with the rail, thereby avoiding the additional wear put upon tires and wheels, as in ordinary practice of the common brake-shoe. Consequently those portions of the wheel which are not worn by the rail are worn down by the shoe, and the tread is thereby kept longer in its proper shape, as while the track is wearing down one portion the shoe is wearing down the other, thereby effecting a large saving in thewear of the wheel itself, and also. in the matter of returning the tires or wheels.

The brakeoperating mechanism having been long in public use, and its construction and operation being well known, and not be' ing a part of this invention, a description is not required here.

I am aware that brake-shoes have heretofore been provided with grooves a a but the rib c has never been made to project down to the wheel, so as to keep the points a 0 and c worn down even while the part a is being worn down by the track,and thereby keep at all times an even, smooth face to. the wheel and render it operative. A wheel worn as shown in Fig. 2, and having the portion 0 projecting, as shown, would be in danger of jumping the track, which I avoid by my construction.

I claim as my invention- A brake-shoe provided with the grooves a a and the wearing portions 0 c, the portion or rib c projecting down to the wheel, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

GEO. B. ROSS.

' Witnesses:

J. M. CALDWELL, JAMES SANGSTER. 

